WARSAW, N.D. -- A small, solitary, white chapel sits on the corner of a country road near Warsaw, N.D. The chapel, named St. Joseph's Chapel, stands as a symbol of hope for local farmers.
St. Joseph's Chapel was built in 1907 by Polish pioneers who settled along the Red River Valley as a symbol of their Catholic faith.
St. Joseph's Chapel is thought to be the smallest chapel in North Dakota. The chapel has two small stained-glass windows, two doors and a small alter and is just large enough to hold two alter servers and a priest.
In honor of St. Joseph and to give thanks and ask for a good and plentiful harvest and God's blessing on the local crops, St. Joseph's Chapel holds an annual Mass. The Mass usually is held in either June, July or August, depending on the status of the Red River.
Since 1907
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The first chapel Mass was held in fall 1907 by the Rev. Mathew Gawkwicz.
Father John Kleinschmidt, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Minto, N.D., and St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Warsaw has led the past three Masses at St. Joseph's Chapel, including the most recent one June 19.
"The chapel is a great testimony of faith for the area's farmers and parishioners and of the faith from past generations," Kleinschmidt says.
In 1907, one of the Polish pioneers, Joseph Wosick, suggested a cross or monu-
ment be built for the local farmers. Wosick donated the land for the chapel, while several others donated $17, allotting $102 for the chapel's construction.
Hand-painted religious statues and paintings decorate the chapel's interior,
and a small sidewalk provides ample footing to the chapel. Hand-carved crosses and trim, created by Joe Kostmatka in the early 1900s, adorn the chapel's frame and roof.
There have been several caretakers of the small chapel, five miles east and one mile north of Warsaw in Pulaski Township, since 1907. The caretaking duties for the chapel have been handled since 1959 by Geraldine and John Bishop. The Bishops have a farm nearby.
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"We enjoy taking care of the lawn and flowers around the chapel and the interior of St. Joseph's Chapel as well," Geraldine Bishop says. "It is open to all to come and silently pray or just to look at."
The chapel used to sit on the crossroads of two section line roads but because of persistent floodwaters was moved to its current location on the Bishop farm. It now sits along the banks of the Red River on the Bishop farm and is protected from recurrent floodwaters by a small dike.
St. Joseph's Chapel is open year round for visitors to stop and view the small piece of historic religious and pioneer history along the Red River.
